Trust Is Only A Five Letter Word
by StylishFashionista
Summary: After a train of unexpected events, Jasmine is left homeless, and Garrett's dad ends up being the one taking her in. There are a set of rules, one of them being 'no funny business with my son'. But only one problem: Garrett is darn-right attractive. Jarrett. Historical AU-American Civil War. Part of my I Didn't Do It trilogy. Other genres-Hurt/Comfort, Tragedy
1. Part 1

**I know, I know, I know. I shouldn't be starting another multi-chap. I know I should be focusing on Miss Miami until it's complete before I start a new one. But I literally got this idea last weekend and it wouldn't get out of my head until I wrote it. This is during the American Civil War, and I got the idea from looking through my old documents and finding this. It was for school back a few months ago, and my teacher said that it was "a boring plot." So, this spurred out to prove her wrong. This is the only part that I wrote for my school; everything else will be written from scratch with Jarrett in my mind. I did change a bunch of stuff from the original though. Here's some info on the American Civil War in case you have no idea what it is...**

**The country at the time was divided into two parts: the Union (North, against slavery) and the Confederacy (South, for slavery). The setting is in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where the Battle of Gettysburg (one of the biggest battles in the Civil War) took place. It is in the North, so the majority of people that live there are against slavery.**

**I hope that's enough. If not, please tell me, and I'll be sure to answer all of your questions. **

**I planned out everything, and I decided that this series will be a trilogy with 10 chapters each. I hope that sounds good to you :) Please enjoy!**

***insert disclaimer here***

**Note: That was intentional. XD**

* * *

I looked out of my window. Loud yells, big booms, and commands slashed the once-silent air. Bullets zoomed past daring faces. It looked to me like dying was inevitable.

I knew my dad was out there, fighting bravely like any committed soldier would. I had always admired my parents for being brave enough to contribute to the war. My dad eagerly enlisted into the 14th Gettysburg regiment. My mom became a nurse for the Union army about a year later. She trusted that I could live alone; I was 14 at the time.

And yet there I was, in the sanctuary of my home, watching the Battle of Gettysburg unfold, and fearing that my life would be over very soon.

My dad was a big abolitionist. He always told me that the Confederates were evil and needed to be stopped. When Uncle Tom's Cabin first came out, he bought many copies of the book and traveled around the South to smuggle them into book stores. He also joined John Brown in his raid on Harper's Ferry, which proved to be unsuccessful (my dad was one of the lucky five to escape capture). And after that, he was in the army fighting for slaves' freedom. He was always adamant about his beliefs against slavery, and did all he could to contribute to the abolition movement.

And I agreed with him. Slavery was evil and should have been abolished.

My house was situated on a hill on the edge of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The only soldiers I could see on the hill were Yankees. All of the rebels were down below. I had thought it was some kind of plan the Union thought of: to claim the hill my house was built on. But I didn't know whether that was true or not. I wasn't a general, and was never planning on becoming one.

My eyes widened as they caught something. A familiar face: my dad. All I could do was smile when I saw him in his blue wool frock coat, the standard Union uniform. He was holding a rifle and was shooting downhill.

But then my eyes started to widen even more when I saw it. A bullet sliced through the air and hit my dad right on the eyebrow. He fell to the ground, his eyes popping out of his sockets.

"Dad!" I screeched, even though I knew very well that no one could hear me in my small house.

On impulse, I ran outside, clutching my teddy bear (it always gave me solace during hard times). The fighting seemed more dynamic than ever. Bodies dropping, bullets flying, commanders shouting; it was an action-filled scene. I ducked down, then I ran behind my house. I looked below the hill and saw a familiar white tent with a red and white striped flag with a blue rectangle and white stars. Immediately, I knew exactly who would be there.

"Mom!" I shouted as loud as I could, before running down the hill as quickly as I could without tripping and making a fool of myself. At that moment, I didn't care if any of the rebels heard me; all I cared about was getting to my mom as quickly as possible. I looked over to the white tent and rushed in.

"Mom! Mom! Dad, he was fighting, then… Mom!"

My eyes widened yet again to see my mom's dead body, along with many injured Union soldiers appearing dead as well. I heard some rustling grass, so I lied down and pretended to be dead as well. The smell of rotting blood engulfed me, and I almost choked from the horrid stench. But I tried to not budge one bit, as I heard voices approach me.

"We got all of them?"

"Yep."  
The rustling grass came closer and closer to me, making it hard for me to stay still. It was tickling my ear quite a bit, and I found myself biting my lip subtly to stay still.

"How about this girl? She seems a bit… young."

"Doesn't matter. She's dead now. One less Union to worry about."

The rustling grass became fainter and fainter. I determined that it was safe to open my eyes, so I did. I then watched two men replace the Union flag with a red one with a blue cross and white stars. _Confederates_, I thought, my eyebrows furrowing in anger.

There was no one in sight a few minutes later, so I got up and left the tent. The humid air hit me. It was the beginning of July (July 3rd, to be exact), and the days were as hot as the blazing sun. Especially the days of the battle. The two sides started fighting here two days ago, on July 1, but the battle was still hard and strong. The fighting seemed to slow down a bit since then, but I still shuddered at the sight. I walked up the hill, dodging any bullet that seemed to come my way, to see something else.

My house was in flames. It was burning down by the minute, decomposing quickly, crackles echoing throughout the air. I felt a tear rush down my cheek as everything started to come to me.

My mom was dead. My dad was dead. My house was in flames. All because of the Confederates.

I was homeless. Alone. And I was certainly, without a doubt in my mind, going to die.

* * *

I was walking through the dirt streets of Gettysburg.

The only things I had was my teddy bear and the clothes I wore on the day of the battle. The battle… It was all I thought of these days. Thoughts of my mom, dad, and my demolished house kept rushing through my mind. The haunting memories wouldn't escape my mind, no matter how much I tried.

Worry would then wash through my body. What was I supposed to do? I didn't have a place to call home, unless the dirt streets counted as a residence. Where was I supposed to get food? Water? I felt like I was barely living.

And then anger took over. It was all the Confederates's fault. Why did they have to shoot my dad? Why did they have to take over my mom's tent? Why did they have to burn my house down? The Confederates were evil.

That cycle went on and on in my head, and it was getting_ very _annoying. I had to at least spend a night indoors. Maybe then my mind would take a rest.

I turned a corner, the same corner I had turned at least 100 times. I was walking in circles. I wanted to stop; I needed to stop. But I couldn't unless I found a place to stay.

I couldn't keep walking in circles, hoping and praying that someone would see me, take pity on me, and let me stay at their place. I actually had to ask for it. I looked for a place that was open. Usually, at that time of hour, a lot of places were closed. But I kept my hopes high, crossing my fingers.

Then, I saw it. An open diner. Diners were rare to come by, but there were a few. I walked in and locked gazes with the lady standing in front. What was I supposed to say?

"Hi. How may I help you?" the lady beamed at me.

"I have no money." Internally, I slapped myself for my stupidity. Why would I say that?

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Okay, but if you don't mind me asking, why are you here?"

"I was hoping for a free meal?" It came out as a question rather than a statement. I was berating myself after I said that. _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_

The lady smiled unsurely. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that."

I forced a smile. "It's fine." I then left the diner and looked around the street. Luckily, a clothing store still had their candles lit. I walked in, holding onto my last piece of hope and dignity.

"Hi. I'm out of money. Can I just have some clothes and call it an IOU?" Words weren't my ally that day.

"Um, we could trade," a man offered. "What do you have on you?"

I sighed, knowing that I lost at that moment. "Honestly, all I have is a teddy bear and these clothes I'm wearing." Or, in other words, some fluff sewn together and pieces of filth on my body.

"I'm sorry, but then no deal," the man looked apologetic at me.

"It's fine," I managed out.

I walked out of the store and turned the same corner and before, crying for the first time since the Battle of Gettysburg. I gave up. Sobs took over me, falling down as hard and fast as a waterfall. I couldn't take walking anymore, so I sat down on the dirt road, not caring whether my long light pink dress got dirty or not. My clothes were already covered in mud anyway.

I gasped for air. I was panting hard from all the crying. I hadn't cried this hard in a long time. I didn't even cry this hard at the battle. I was sick of crying. I told myself to stop, but that made the tears fall out even more intensely. I was getting annoyed at myself, but I couldn't stop.

"What is a beautiful lady like yourself doing out here this late?"

I looked up to see a man that seemed like he was in his fifties. I blushed at his comment a bit, but then made myself stop (which was oddly easier than making myself stop crying). I wasn't even that pretty. I had thick brown hair that was pin-straight and went to my waist. I had murky brown eyes, and dirt speckled my face so it looked like I had freckles (even though I didn't). I was pale, too pale for anyone's liking. I was as thin as a blade of grass. I was the shortest girl I knew. And, to top off my appearance, I was covered as dirt. Not pretty at all.

"I'm only 15," I informed him bluntly.

"That doesn't explain why you're here," he insisted. He was persistent. I had always respected a person that was persistent.

"Um, just admiring the night sky," I lied, my tears glistening from the moonlight. I took a good look at the sky, and it was actually quite beautiful. The full moon situated itself in the smack-middle of the night sky. Around it, the stars shined brighter than I ever saw before, even though my vision was blurred from the tears daring to budge out of my eyes.

"Quite beautiful, aren't they?" the man interrupted my thoughts. "The stars, I mean. I don't think I've ever seen them shine that brightly."

I nodded, finally agreeing with the mystery man. "Same here."

He turned to me. "Why are you observing the sky here? Wouldn't you want to be at your home to do that?"

I held in a glare, which was surprisingly easy with my tear-filled eyes. _This man was starting to get on my nerves._ "Just got out of work," I fibbed.

"This late?" he quirked an eyebrow.

"Yes," I stated. "Is that a problem?"

He sighed. "You're lying."

My eyes widened. _How did he know?_

"Everyone's eyes dilate when they're lying," he told me, as if he read my mind.

I stared at him, completely dumbfounded. This guy amazed me. He was much more intelligent than he seemed. How would he know that my eyes dilate? It was dark, and the only source of light was coming from the moon. Did he have night vision?

But I regained my composure. "So what if I was lying? It's not a big deal. Besides, it shouldn't matter to you."

The man sighed again. "It wouldn't hurt you if you told the truth. Besides, I can tell whether you're lying or not, which you have been for quite some time, so there's no true benefit. You would be wasting both of our times."

He had a valid point. And that bugged me.

"Fine," I succumbed to him. "I'm homeless."

There was a pause of silence. And it scared me. Did his opinion of me change? Well, his opinion on me was probably a bad one anyways…

Then, he finally said something. "For how long?"

"A week," I answered.

He nodded for quite some time, and then made an offer. "You can stay with me if you want."

I was shocked. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah!" he said a bit too eagerly for my taste.

"For how long?" I asked him, trying to be as serious as I could.

"As long as you need," he said with no hesitation.

I fought back a smile. What was I supposed to do? Yes, I desperately needed a place to stay, and he was offering me one. But he was still only a stranger. But, yet again, I was willing to trust the lady at the diner and the man at the clothing store, and they were complete strangers as well.

"Come on," he beckoned, noticing the long pause in my response. "Trust me."

"Trust is only a five letter word," I sneered, trying to keep his hopes down.

But somehow, before my thoughts were complete, I found myself saying, "Yes."

"That's great!" the man jumped into the air excitedly. His eyes then widened as he remembered something. "Oh, yes, I almost forgot. What is your name?"

"Jasmine," I said with no hesitation. I mean, he was going to house me. He deserved to know my name. "It's Jasmine. My name's Jasmine."

"Well, Jasmine," he started, emphasizing my name to remember it. "I will enjoy your company, and I'm sure my son will, too."

_Wait, what? Son?_

But before I could question it, he took my hand and started to drag me to who-knew-where.

* * *

**So, there's the first chapter. The chapters will be relatively this long, so I think that I'll update this story quicker than Miss Miami. "Trust" will definitely appear throughout the story, so I hope you stick around. I really love Jarrett, so I'm excited to see how this turns out. May I please have five reviews? Thanks for reading, and I'll see you later!**


	2. Part 2

**Hey you guys. StylishFashionista here. :) I'm finally updating after such a long time! XD I'm really sorry, but like I explained on my new Miss Miami chapter, I had a huge Science project and this and next week, I have like 15 tests, so please forgive me. I was so happy with all of the great response for the first chapter. I hope you guys like this one just as much! We are off to reviews!**

**DanseChick-Same here :)**

**StoryToBeToldAsOne-Ack thank you so much! :)**

**LoveYaAll-Thank you so much!**

**Bonjour10-I know right? I feel so bad for her! No prob really. I like to learn history too, and it's really cool to read about it and read fanfics about it. I always include info about historical stuff in my AN in case no one knows what I'm writing about! XD Some people don't do it, and I find that a bit rude because some people still want to read your story and when they don't know what it's talking about really upsets the mood... :/ Anyways, thank you so much! :)**

**Guest-Thank you so much!**

**JarrettorForever-Thank you so much!**

**mace784-Um, thanks?**

***insert disclaimer here***

**I think we get that by now... XD**

* * *

Most of the walk to his house was in silence. My tears had successfully dried up, but my skin was feeling dry and my eyes were burning, especially at the sight of intense light (well, I didn't know whether you would call the full moon and street lights intense, but oh well). I was really craving a wet rag at the moment; I didn't really care if it was filthy dirty or sparkling clean; I just really needed to get that dry feeling off my skin. The windy dirt streets of Gettysburg made it feel like we were walking for eternity. I was getting so annoyed.

At that point, I was even questioning his reliability. He was a complete stranger and I was allowing him to take me to who-knew-where. For all I knew, he could be leading me to an abandoned ditch or a dark alley and leaving me there alone. I would of never expected myself to do this in my life. In fact, I remembered how my dad and mom would always repeat to me, "Never ever go with strangers."

But my mom... My dad... I felt tears rushing to my eyes at the thought of my passed parents. Both of them were dead, and my house was engulfed in flames. I had no choice. He offered, and I would of been an idiot if I didn't accept. I couldn't be homeless for any longer, calling the dirt streets my sanctuary for the rest of my (if I did, SHORT) life. If I did, I wouldn't have any food, water, shelter in case there was a storm coming up... I would die in give-or-take a couple weeks. At least I could hold on to the little piece of hope I had for living in an actual home with the man.

And he even said that he had a son... What was he like? Was he nice like his father or mean and sinister like the Confederates? And were there more people living with them? How about the son's mother? Did they have aunts, uncles, or cousins living there as well? Grandmothers and grandfathers? I had no clue what to expect with this man, and I was shivering out of fear.

He abruptly turned to me, and I looked at him dead into his eyes, hope shimmering through my eyes.

"Hey, Jasmine, I'm happy you're staying with us," he smiled.

I almost raised my eyebrows at that. Almost_._ If I really did, that would of been rude. But that was seriously all he had to say? Nothing more? Wow.

I ended up smiling back. "Thank you for having me. It really means a lot that you would help me like that."

"No problem," he shrugged it off. "I really love to help people in need, and besides, I don't really mind at all."

I knew he didn't mind at all, but what about his son? And what about anyone else living there with him? "Do you think anyone else would mind. I mean, I would understand if they do because I'm kind of imposing on you guys..."

I ended up trailing off, having nothing else to say or add to that, and he shook his head to that. "Oh, there's no need to feel that way, Jasmine! I apologize for that!" I immediately was taken aback by his outburst, but he smiled and shook his head at his abruptness. "I apologize for that too."

We both laughed, and after our slight laughter died down, I reiterated, "But seriously? Do you think anyone would mind? I recall you saying that you have a son. Do you think he would mind?"

Seeming to remember that I had asked that before, he gasped and shook his head yet again. "My son would most definitely not mind. I mean, he doesn't really have a choice, considering that I'm his father and it's, oh I don't know, MINE. But once he knows what happened to you, I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

I nodded slightly, albeit hesitantly. "Okay." But then something hit me. What if he was fighting in the war? If he was, I expected him to be a Union soldier. He was living in the North, after all; it would only make sense if he was fighting for the Union. But, at the same time, I knew not to assume. My parents also taught me that too. _Oh, no, the tears are coming back. The tears... _"Is he fighting?"

He shook his head. "No. I couldn't allow him to do that. I would be too scared if he went out to war. I mean, he could die. I'm just lucky that he didn't want to fight for the Union army either, because I know I wouldn't be able to stop him from going if he did."

I nodded in understanding, and then he added, "Oh yeah, his name's Garrett, by the way."

I nodded, making sure to keep that in my head. I liked that name a whole lot. "Oh. That's cool."

He nodded. "Yeah. He's a great guy, and you two are the same age. I'm sure you two will click once you guys meet."

"Sure," I and then asked with wonder, "How about your wife?"

I must of pulled a cord, because he immediately stopped in his tracking, halting walking and as stoic as a rock. I immediately felt guilty, and I regretted it so much. He was taking it very seriously, and I didn't want to be the one causing that. He was letting me live with him, and I said that just shortly after he allowed me to live with him? At that point, I wouldn't be shocked if he took back everything he offered to me and threw me on the dirt streets like I was before.

"I'm really sorry," I apologized, looking at him guiltily.

He shook his head yet again, which was staring to seem like a pattern to me. "No, no, no, it's okay. I'm sorry. It's not your fault."

I shook my head as well. "No, don't apologize. I'm the one that brought it up. I should be the one apologizing."

He nodded, but he didn't respond. He just started to walk again, his head straight on the road. I guessed he agreed with me. I did the same thing as he did, looking straight as we walked in silence. After a while, though, he stopped, and I had to stop too, almost bumping into a building as well. I looked up to see a two-story building, which was a bit more compact than my house over at the Battle of Gettysburg site, but was suitable for me.

"Well, this is where I live," he motioned to the beige building, which I probably wouldn't be able to see if I wasn't paying attention (considering that it was night). "Come on in, Jasmine."

He unlocked the door, and I nodded, following him inside. However, I looked around the room weirdly as all I saw was a bunch of shelves with shoes piled all over them and a huge counter in the middle.

The man, noticing my confused look, explained to me, "This is the shoe store I own. We live in the back and upstairs."

My mouth formed into an o as I nodded. "Oh."

He chuckled and smiled. _What was so funny?_ "Come on Jasmine." He led me through the back door, and he turned on the lantern. It hurt my eyes for a little bit, but once I regained my vision, I could see a small kitchen with a small table with a few chairs and loveseats around it. It looked like a scrunched up version of what used to be my living room. I was not used to the small size - we used to have a huge house with such a nice scenery around it (well, before it was tarnished by the battle) - but hey, maybe I would once I stayed there for a while.

"Sit down, Jasmine," he motioned to a wooden chair; I followed his commands and did. "I'll get you some apple pie. You must be hungry."

My stomach grumbled to that, and I chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I guess I am. Thank you so much, for everything."

He smiled. "No problem. Do you need a rag to wash yourself?"

I nodded in relief. It wasn't a bath like I was used to, but I'd take what I'd get. And besides, I didn't really mind. "Yes please."

He nodded and went upstairs. I looked around. I was starting to like my new home. It seemed very cozy, something my old home lacked. And while my old house lacked color, this one had the most color in the world. I honestly didn't mind the drastic change. It made me forget about what happened previously in my life.

He finally came back down, handing me a dirty but wet rag and a slice of apple pie. I took them gratefully and used the wet rag to scrub myself down. I could already see most of the dirt come off.

"Thank you," I said gratefully, which became yet another pattern to me.

"No problem." _And yet another pattern._ "Oh, yes, and Jasmine?"

I looked up at him and stopped scrubbing my raw skin. "Yes?"

He sighed. "Would you mind if we set a few ground rules?"

I nodded. "Sure." He was letting me live with him and his son - Garrett, I had to remind myself to call him that. The least I could do was follow some simple rules.

"Thank you." _Why was he thanking me? He was doing me a favor!_ "I just have three."

"Okay," I motioned for him to continue. "Name them."

He nodded. "Okay. You have to tell me if you're going anywhere no matter what, and you have to tell me whenever you're going to buy something."

I nodded, repeating them both in my head to remember them. "Okay then. But what about the third one?"

He sighed, making the third one seem more important than the first two. "You have to promise to never ever break it."

I nodded, motioning for him to tell me what it was. "I promise, okay? I promise with all of my heart. Now, please, tell me what it actually is so then I can stop guessing."

He laughed and then said, "I don't want any funny business between you and my son."

I quirked an eyebrow. _That was it? To not date Garrett?_ "Don't worry. There will be nothing between Garrett and I."

He smiled. "Good. I'm going to go to sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

I nodded as I finished scrubbing myself (admittedly, I looked pretty immaculate and amazing) and picked up the slice of apple pie. "Okay then. Good night!"

"Night," he said, before walking upstairs. I sighed as I finished my slice of apple pie in just a few seconds. Wow. I didn't realize that I was even that hungry. It just feel _so good_ to finally eat something tangible and not something from the garbage. Once I did, I placed the plate and fork I ate it with in the kitchen, before going upstairs, which was where I assumed the bedrooms were, considering that there was none in the lower level. I went up and realized that there was just a hallway with three doors in it. _Which one was I supposed to go to?_ I sighed as I started pointing at each one and chanting in my head, _Eenee meanie mieny mo. Catch a tiger by its toe. If he hollers, let it go. Eenee meanie mieny mo. _I ended on the first door to the right, and I went in. I plopped myself onto the bed and fell asleep while thinking about the three rules.

_Little did I know that I would soon regret that promise for the last one._

* * *

**Well, this chapter seemed to take forever to write... Even though it only took me a day... XD It was still fun to write though, and I had a blast!**

**I'm sorry for not introducing Garrett yet... I promise I'll do that next chapter! But that ending though... So much foreshadowing! XD ;)**

**I have just a few American Civil War tidbits for you guys. ;) With the house, that's actually what they were like during the Civil War. There were three different types of houses. One was a big one that only rich people owned, which is what Jasmine used to have before it burned down. Another was a house inside where they would work, like Garrett's. The last one is a huge one that a bunch of different families would live in. Also, Jasmine had to wash herself with a rag. That was normal at the time. Only the rich could afford a tub, and even if they had one, it was such a hassle to put warm water in it and to put it in a house, so some people who could afford it didn't even bother to get one. And since it was actually cool to not wash during that time, most people only washed once a month or if they had any noticeable dirt on them. So... :/ Plus, apple pie was eaten a lot during that time! Now I'm craving apple pie... And chicken pot pie... Mmm mmm mmm!**

**That was actually more than I expected... XD**

**Anyways, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Can we please have 10 reviews? It would mean a whole lot if you would type up a review for me, no matter how big or small!**


	3. Part 3

**Hey you guys. StylishFashionista here. :) I would like to thank you all for the quick response for the new chapter. 11 reviews? That's so amazing; thank you! I'm really happy that you guys already enjoy it, even though Garrett hasn't showed up yet. XD But, I am keeping my promise. This chapter will have Garrett in it. ;) Well, and some Jarrett cuteness! ;) I'm really bad at updating this story, I know, but once Miss Miami is complete, updates will definitely be faster! :D And plus my last day of school is on Thursday, and I'm really excited! I hope you guys enjoy this chappie! We are off to reviews!**

**StoryToBeToldAsOne-Same here... I really like apple pie. XD And yes, that last rule may cause some problems... XD Thanks so much!**

**DanseChick-Thank you so much!**

**Bonjour10-Yes, the first day of the rest of her life. Well, maybe. #spoileralert! Can I quote you on that though? That last rule is definitely going to be a problem. But Garrett's mom wasn't lost due to war... #yetanotherspoileralert! I think I already have way too many spoilers in this one response... XD I'm also afraid I'd have to live through war. I really hope not. :( Thanks so much!**

**Guest-Thank you so much! And now that I think about it, are you the same person that read Miss Miami? Just wondering!**

**mace784-I'm not mad at you for your beliefs. Why would you think that? Though the last review was actually an idea for the story and didn't include any of your beliefs... I cannot include it, and here's why. I already have every single thing in this story and the next two (well, this is a trilogy after all! XD) planned out. I'm sorry, but it just would not fit into the story. Also, I apologize for not saying much in the last response. You deserved more than what I said, and I'm sorry for that.**

**LoveYaAll-Thank you so much! I actually like the first one a bit more, to be honest. XD**

**BoldText-Thank you so much! Ironic that I'm writing this response in bold text. XD Oh, and PS: I love your penname. ;)**

**MakeItComeTrue-Thank you so much!**

**Stan-Thank you! Glad that you like this story!**

**Guest (I'm assuming the last two guest reviews were from the same person...)-Thank you! Glad you liked the last two chappies!**

***insert disclaimer here***

* * *

I stirred in my sleep. I didn't feel like getting up yet; it felt like it was too early for me to get up. In my defense, I did get here really late the night before and fell asleep on the first bed I could find, but I could see the sun rising behind the curtains of the window even if my eyes were closed because of the rays of light annoying me. Groggily, I tried to move my arms to rub my eyes, when I realized that my hands were being held by something.

Immediately, I thought the worst, due to what I witnessed with my parents. Was I getting kidnapped? What was going on? I still felt the bed under me, and even though that was supposed to give me solace, I was still freaking out like a five year old stuck a haunted house.

I shuffled a bit more in an attempt to get out. I was getting more worried every second that passed, but I didn't really want to show it, with the fear that they could see my worried expression on my face or in my body language. So I closed my eyes, pretending to still be asleep and shuffling around unconsciously.

However, when I felt a guy's chest on my back, I just had to flip myself over to see what the heck was going on.

I opened my eyes to see a guy who looked my age holding onto me as if his life depended on it. He was adorable, to say the least. He had curly brown hair and cute little dimples on his cheeks. He looked absolutely adorable when he was asleep. And now, I couldn't wait to see him when he was awake...

I smiled to myself as I snuggled more into him. He unconsciously did the same, holding me even tighter than before. I found myself smiling even wider as my eyes started to droop and I found myself getting tired again. I just felt like I fit perfectly into him; it was like we were two puzzle pieces that went together. And I just loved that feeling.

A few seconds before I was going to fall back to sleep, I heard a voice boom through the room.

"Rise and shine, Garr- Woah, what the heck is going on in here?!"

The boy, which was Garrett apparently, jolted up, and I immediately felt like something was missing. _Oh, right, him. _I sat up as well, shifting my gaze from Garrett and his father. _Oh. Oops._

We both looked at each other and said in unison, "It's not what it looks like."

His dad laughed and said, "I would hope not."

We chuckled awkwardly before the room fell into silence. I looked at Garrett's dad and Garrett again. They did look like they were related; they had the exact same blue eyes and the same cheekbones. My gaze then fell on Garrett. He was darn-right attractive. Luck - or better said, life - definitely wasn't on my side. The one guy that I thought was super fine was actually the guy I was not allowed to date. How ironic was that?

"Let's just forget that this ever happened," Garrett's dad said.

Garrett and I both nodded in agreement. "Agreed," we said in unison once again. We then both looked at each other for the first time, his sapphire blue eyes meeting my caramel brown ones. The feeling I got when that happened was indescribable. I could see guilt brimming his eyes, but I decided not to look too much into it.

Garrett's dad said goodbye to us, and we waved and said goodbye. We both then sat on the bed in complete - and awkward - silence. I decided to get up and leave the room, but he stopped me.

"Hey," he said. I turned around to see him giving me a questioning look, but I also saw a faint smile form on his face. "What's your name?"

"Jasmine," I told him, letting myself smile as well.

"Like the flower?" he asked; I nodded. "That's really cool. Plus, it's a pretty name."

I bit the inside of the cheek to prevent myself from blushing. "Thank you," I said politely. "I like your name too."

"Thank you," he said. "I honestly don't even know why my parents named me Garrett; they just did. It was my mom's idea, but besides that, I don't know why."

I laughed. "That's nice. Why didn't you ask them?"

He shrugged and responded with, "I don't know. I guess I never got to it."

However, his look told me that he didn't really want to know. What happened with his mother? I really didn't want to push it, so I pushed my curiosity to the side and ignored it. I grabbed the doorknob to leave, but he stopped me again.

"Oh, Jasmine, I really don't want to sound rude or anything, but why are you here?" Garrett asked me.

I motioned to the door and said, "Your father."

Garrett nodded, not asking me anything anymore. "Okay. How long are you staying?"

I shrugged. _Probably forever_, I thought. But, instead, I tried to be oblivious. "I have no clue."

"Okay," he said. "You can go now. I'm sorry for holding you up."

I laughed and said, "It's fine. It's a privilege to be held up by a cute boy like you."

Immediately, I covered my mouth and went outside, blushing really hard. I sneaked a peek at Garrett; he was blushing and biting his lip as well. _Aww_, I thought. _He looked so cute when he was flustered._

I walked downstairs and saw Garrett's dad cooking. He was cooking pancakes. I smiled at him and sat down on a chair.

"Hey Jasmine," he smiled at me.

"Hi there," I said to him.

He went back to the pancakes and asked me, "Why were you in Garrett's room in the first place?"

"I didn't know which room to sleep in, so I kind of guessed," I explained. "I guess I ended up choosing Garrett's. I'm sorry for that. I was just too tired to realize that he was sleeping there. I understand if you're mad at me; I'm sorry."

He stayed stoic for a while, which kind of scared me. I would of preferred an automatic response than a delayed one. A delayed one kept me guessing; was he really mad at me or not? The suspense was killing me; at least I would of already knew the answer with an automatic response.

But then he laughed, and I sighed in relief as he did. "I guess that means it was my fault," he stated. "I am really sorry then."

I forced out a laugh and said, "That isn't necessary."

Garrett came downstairs and sat at the chair next to me. "Ooh, pancakes!" he exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. "Are they done yet?"

Garrett's dad nodded. "Mmhmm." He threw a plate filled with fluffy, square-shaped pancakes in between Garrett and I. "Enjoy you two!"

"Thank you!" I said as Garrett and I grabbed a pancake. I took a bite out of it. It wasn't bad, but my mom could make better pancakes. But oh well. I would eat whatever I was given.

We ate in silence. Garrett's father was writing something down on a piece of paper with a feather and black ink instead of eating like Garrett and I were. _Was he even hungry?_ I wondered to myself as I took another bite out of the petite square-shaped pancake. I took at least five of the pancakes, while Garrett finished the rest. _Maybe the pancakes weren't as bad as I thought they were..._

When I finished eating, Garrett told me to pass him my plate. He then cleaned it with a rag. I watched in amazement. _He didn't mind_ _cleaning?_ I thought. Unless it was sorting out my cute clothes from my ugly ones or cleaning up my room, I hated cleaning. I would clean up the things I was responsible for, but cleaning up for someone else was not something I enjoyed.

Feeling guilty, I got out of my chair and walked up to him. I said, "I can help you if you want."

He shook his head and said, "No, it's okay. I got it."

"Are you sure?" I persisted. "I can help if you want me to."

"No, seriously," he persisted as well. "I got this. My dad's a horrible cleaner, so I usually take care of the stuff around here. I wouldn't mind taking care of an extra person." I nodded. Then, he continued, "I really hate it when things are dirty. Everything has to be in pristine condition. That's probably the only reason why my dad keeps me around. He says I'm useful for cleaning people's shoes, even if I take forever on it."

I laughed and smiled. "Well, I think that's pretty cool. I'm decent at cleaning, so your talent would probably help."

"Thank you," he smiled. "Some people say it's weird that I have such an obsession with cleaning, but I don't think that's such a bad obsession." I nodded in agreement, and then he chuckled and continued, "You know, I actually don't talk this much. I guess it's just weird having a girl my age at my house... You're sixteen years old, right?"

I nodded. "Yep. My sweet sixteen was a couple of months ago."

He laughed and put his hands up. "Okay, good, because I wouldn't want to mess that up. Okay, now I'm rambling, but..." He started to trail off, and I laughed. Then, he turned to his dad and said, "Father, can we talk?"

He looked up from his writing and said, "Sure. If you'd excuse us, Jasmine."

I nodded in understanding, walking to the stairs and closing the door behind me. I then started to walk upstairs, with the hopes that I could find my actual room. But, when Garrett started to speak rather harshly, I felt myself become tempted to eavesdrop on them. _No, Jasmine,_ I told myself. _This is wrong. You can't just eavesdrop on the people who are giving you a place to live!_

But, that didn't stop me; I did anyway.

"Why didn't you tell me that she was coming?!" Garrett asked harshly. _Wait a second. This was about me?_

"It was kind of a last minute decision," Garrett's dad admitted sheepishly.

"But you couldn't have at least _warned_ me?!" Garrett exclaimed. "I mean, she's beautiful! And she's super sweet! I wouldn't be able to control myself! If you let me at least prepare for her, then maybe I wouldn't be so mad at you now!"

Garrett's dad chuckled and then tried to appease his son. "Garrett, relax. She can't date you or anything. That's one of the rules I set-"

"You're kidding me, right?!" Garrett cut him off. "You're kidding me."

"No, I'm not," Garrett's dad said. "Are you fine with that or not?"

There was a long silence. I felt conflicted; I wanted Garrett to stand up to his dad and say no, but at the same time, I wanted him to be completely fine with the rule. I had no idea why I was thinking like that; I just was.

"Yeah, I'm fine with it," Garrett choked out after a long while, breaking the ice. "Thanks for talking with me, dad."

"No problem," Garrett's dad said. Right afterwards though, suddenly, the door that I was hiding behind flung open. I looked at them with pure embarrassment, hoping that I didn't give myself away

"Jasmine," Garrett started, worried, "do you need anything?"

"I was just looking for my room," I fibbed, pointing up the stairs. "Since, you know..." I started to trail off.

"Oh." Garrett's mouth formed an o. "I can help you with that. Follow me."

I nodded as he led me upstairs. He then opened the left door. _Oh. The left door. That was the one I was supposed to pick... _The room looked exactly like Garrett's except for the bed; this bed was slightly bigger. He smiled at me as he motioned to the room.

"Well, this is your room," he told me, looking into my eyes. "This was supposed to be a guest room, but, well, we don't have any guests."

I laughed and smiled at him. "Well, thank you so much. It means a whole lot to be that you would do this for me."

"No problem," he smiled back. Then, he seemed to remember something. "Oh, and if you need any more clothes, then you can use some of my mom's." He pulled out a drawer from the dresser to show me the clothes.

I shook my head. "That's not necessary. What would your mom think?"

"I don't think that she would really care," he spat. I looked at him in complete shock. Did he really have that much animosity for his mom? What happened between them?

"Okay," I said. "Well, thank you again."

"You're welcome, Jaz," he said, his animosity fading.

I quirked an eyebrow. "Jaz?"

"Yeah," he nodded, smiling. "It suits you."

"Jaz," I reiterated, nodding. He smiled as he left the room.

_Jaz, _I repeated once more in my head, smiling. It was official: I loved that nickname.

* * *

**Well, that was the chappie! The Jarrett moments in this chapter was real! XD I don't think I have any Civil War tidbits today... :( But, if you guys enjoyed, please make me smile and leave me a review! Could I please have 25 reviews? Pretty please? With a cherry on top?**


	4. Part 4

**Hey you guys! StylishFashionista here! Well, I finished with school and stuff, so hopefully updates will be faster! I really have nothing else to say but the fact that I hope you guys enjoy the chappie! I guess we're off to reviews!**

**Bonjour10-Hahaha I feel like that's something Jasmine would do when she's tired. XD Hahaha the Jarrett cuteness is only getting started. ;) And yes, both of them are hard. Thank you so much for the review!**

**StoryToBeToldAsOne-Yes, the Jarrett cuteness. ;) :3 (the cat apocalyspe ;) ) Thank you so much!**

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**TheOneOfaMillion-Thank you so much! Yes, I had to add in that Jarrett scene. ;) And I'm updating now! ;)**

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**Guest-Thank you so much!**

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**mace784-Okay then good. :)**

**LoveYouForeverAndMore-Hahaha I see you're excited. ;) Thank you so very much!**

**Junatina-Thank you so much! Don't worry, I have that feeling too. :D**

***insert disclaimer here***

* * *

I kept asking Garrett and his dad if I could start working at their shoe store. They kept saying no.

I really wanted to start helping them around because it would just be rude if I didn't. They were taking me in and I was doing nothing to help them. I really hated it. I just really wanted to help and they wouldn't even let me. I tried to clean the entire house one day - Garrett said I didn't have to because of his obsession with cleaning. Once I tried to cook dinner for them - Garrett 's dad told me that he didn't mind cooking for us and that he shouldn't force me to. And that was why I felt so guilty. I didn't want to be a burden to them; I didn't want them to have to do everything for me. I wanted to help and try to repay them for letting me stay here. I tried so hard to help and they didn't want me to. In a way, I wanted to be treated more like a family member than a guest.

After a couple of weeks, I finally had enough. I went up to Garrett's father.

"Sir, with all due respect, I really want to help you guys here! You guys are letting me stay here; the least I could do is help you guys out."

He smiled at that but shook his head. "Jasmine, you don't have to do that. It isn't necessary. Garrett and I enjoy working around the house. We don't want to cause you any trouble."

"But I don't want to be a burden," I told him, placing my arms behind me and looking down.

He took a deep breath before saying, "Jasmine, I don't know where you got that idea. You are not a burden. We enjoy having you around. You're super fun and super sweet. You don't have to worry; you're not a burden."

"Yeah!" Garrett added, which caused both of us to laugh.

"But seriously," I regained my composure. "I want to help around. I'm not exactly a guest here; I mean, if I'm staying here for-pretty-much-ever, then I should help. I'm not saying that I want to be part of the family exactly, but I want to help contribute to something."

Garrett's dad opened his mouth to respond, but Garrett beat him to it. "Wait, you're staying here for-pretty-much-ever?" He quirked an eyebrow at that in confusion, and I couldn't tell whether he was happy about that or not. His eyes were filled with such mixed emotions that I was confused myself. "Why?"

I told him, "It's a long story. A really long story."

Garrett's dad nodded at that, adding, "I don't even know the majority myself."

Garrett nodded, albeit hesitantly. I turned back to Garrett's dad and pleaded, "Come on, please? Let me work."

"I'm not sure," Garrett's dad admitted, brushing his hair with his fingers. "It's not that you're bad or anything; you're amazing. It's that we need someone at home to make sure everything's okay."

I raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It's not that I think you're incapable or anything. I just want someone staying at the house. It's nothing personal."

I nodded and was about to take that as an answer. However, Garrett exclaimed out of the blue, "Come on, dad, let Jaz work. I think she'll enjoy it. I mean, she really likes clothes and stuff like that and we own a shoe store! It's perfect for her!"

His dad seemed dumbfounded at first, but then he said cautiously, "Garrett, you know how unsafe it is around here. Especially after the Battle of Gettysburg last month. We need someone to stay to keep everything safe." _Oh, he didn't have to remind me about my parents..._

"But dad!" Garrett exclaimed. "Keeping Jaz here will just endanger her! And besides, she could be a great salesperson! She's into fashion and all of that stuff. Just let her try. Please."

Garrett's dad seemed more dumbfounded. After a dead silence that lasted at least a minute (and was nerve-wracking to say the least), he nodded.

"Garrett, see how great of a salesperson you are? You made at least ten good points there," he broke into a smile. "That's my son for you."

We both chuckled. Garrett tapped me on the shoulder, and I smiled gratefully at him.

"Thank you," I mouthed.

He smiled and mouthed back, "You're welcome."

* * *

That was probably the first time I took a good look of the shoe store they owned in front of their house. The shelves that I believed were cluttered at first were actually sorted by style, color, and size. The counter had a few sheets of paper, a couple of feathers with black ink to the side, and a cashier to keep all of the money. On the back was a huge wooden table with a bunch of tools and many sheets of leather; that was used to make all of the shoes (I learned that Garrett's dad made all of the shoes from scratch). There was a small stool and a cloth on it; it was used for shining shoes. And I couldn't believe that I never noticed that the slightly cramped room reeked of leather.

"I'll make the shoes," Garrett's dad said. "You guys can try to sell them whenever a customer walks in. Does that sound good to both of you?"

Garrett immediately nodded at that. They both looked to me, and I nodded as well. "Sounds awesome," I said. Garrett's dad nodded at that and went to the wooden table in the back. Garrett led me to the front of the store.

"If you need any help, just tell me, okay?" he whispered into my ear. Then, he started to ramble. "Well, I mean, not that I think that you'll do horribly, but just in case, you know-"

"Don't worry Garrett," I cut him off, chuckling. "I get what you mean. Don't worry about it, okay? I'm probably going to ask you a billion questions, so brace yourself."

He laughed at that and said, "I'm sure you'll do fine, Jaz. You're underestimating yourself."

"Not necessarily," I said hastily. Then, as if on cue, a customer walked in. Usually I was a very outgoing person, but I found myself shying away from the black-eyed stranger.

"Hello," Garrett said to him. "Is there anything in particular that you're looking for?"

He nodded. "Yes. Mahogany brown dress shoes. No lace."

Garrett nodded. "What size?"

"I don't know my shoe size," the stranger admitted sheepishly. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion at that, but I tried my best to hide it. How could a man not know his shoe size? I memorized mine, and I was probably three times younger than him!

Garrett glanced at his feet and said, "You're probably a 9. We got one just for you."

Garrett walked to the shelf marked '9' and grabbed a shoe that fit the man's description perfectly. I watched in complete awe as the man bought it instantly and left, leaving Garrett and his dad with all of the change, which was equivalent to almost thirty dollars. I gaped at that in complete shock, and Garrett chuckled uneasily.

"He must've been in a rush," he said, combing out his cute brown curls. "He asked for dress shoes. The people who usually do that are in a rush?"

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why is that?" I asked him.

"Well, usually they forget to get shoes so basically they stop here last minute or on the way," he explained, shrugging. "I guess they have better things to do or something. That, or they're just forgetful."

I laughed at that. However, I didn't want them to feel like they were just used for last minute stuff and weren't people's first choice, so I said, "You know, your dad makes very high quality shoes."

"Don't flatter me," Garrett's dad piped up for the first time in a while. I looked at him, and he was smiling, showing that he was joking. I smiled in relief at that.

Another customer walked in, and this one seemed more congenial. He was younger; he seemed to be about ten years older than Garrett and I. Garrett pushed me subtly towards him; I took the hint. He wanted me to try this time. I smiled at the young man and took a deep breath.

"Hi there. I'm Jasmine," I held my hand out for him to shake it; he did. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good; thanks for asking," he smiled back at me.

"Do you need anything?" I asked him.

He nodded. "I need a size 10 casual shoe with lace."

"Color?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow.

He shot me a nonchalant wave. "Doesn't matter. I just need a pair to replace my old ones." He motioned to his feet, and I looked down to see his shoes covered in dirt and mud. I felt bad. I knew the feeling to be covered in dirt and mud, and honestly, it sucked.

I walked over to the shelf marked '10' and looked around. I then realized at that point that all of the shoes on the shelf were fancy shoes. Internally, I facepalmed myself and sighed in defeat. What was I supposed to do?

I grabbed the first one I saw, a pair of black, very fancy shoes and showed it to him, hoping that he wouldn't realize the difference.

But of course he did.

"I'm sorry to be rude, but these are fancy shoes," he said to me.

I didn't want to tell him that we were out of casual shoes and lose a customer, so instead, I tried my best to convince him to buy it. "However, these are the cheapest shoes with the best quality. I saw your dirt and mud covered shoes, and trust me, I've been there. I just want to get you the best deal."

"Are you sure?" he asked cautiously.

I nodded, trying to radiate confidence. "I'm positive."

He thought about it for a while. but then sighed. "Okay, I'm in for it." He then passed me a handful of cash. I gave it to Garrett instead of looking at how much money it was. He nodded in satisfaction, and the young man then leaves with the black shoes in hand.

After a few seconds of silence, Garrett pulled me into a hug. I could see Garrett's dad smiling at me.

"You know, Jasmine," he started, "you are a pretty good saleswoman."

* * *

It was like that for a week. Garrett also taught me how to shine shoes for if I ever needed it, but he usually let me handle the customers while he shined the shoes. It honestly worked out pretty well. Garrett's dad made the shoes, I sold them, and Garrett shined them. We made a pretty good team.

That day, however, Garrett's dad sent us to go trading.

"What's trading?" I asked, confused. I had no clue what that meant. At least, for a shoe store.

"It's basically when we trade shoes for other stuff," Garrett explained to me. "That's admittedly how we got most of our furniture, pans, and pots."

I laughed at that, even though I didn't know whether he was joking or not.

Garrett's dad passed us a bag filled with newly made shoes. "Have fun you two."

"Will you be okay here?" I ask him in concern.

He nodded at that. "Don't worry, you two. I'll be fine. Now, come on. You guys better bring home a grand piano today."

We all laughed at that. Garrett and I walked out of the store, and the street felt so foreign to me. Garrett threw his arm around me.

"Come on, Jaz. Let's go trade some shoes for some junk."

I laughed at that, and he twirled me around as we started walking to who-knew-where. I couldn't believe I was about to say this, but with how adorable he looked today, I knew that this was going to be hard.

Oh, who was I kidding? This was going to be impossible.

* * *

**I really hope you guys enjoyed. I'm so happy because I updated all of my stories (including my collab with Gabrie called Fame Isn't that Good on our collab account TheWrittenStoryOfUs - which you should check out). I just really hope you guys liked the chappie. Can I please have 35 reviews? Pretty please? Thank you for reading and I'll catch you all later. :)**

**PS: I'm mourning a loss. The US are out of the World Cup. ;( XD**


	5. Part 5

**Hey you guys! It's StylishFashionista, and I just finished watching the World Cup finals! Gotta hand it to Germany—they did great! It was a great year. Ugh I have to wait four more years for the next one... ;( XD Anyways that's pretty much it! Off to reviews!**

**Bonjour10-I had to make Jasmine a fashionista still. It's perfect with Garrett's dad owning a shoe store and everything. The reason I made her unaware of trading at first was because she came from a rich family; she never had to work, and therefore, never had to trade. I'm honestly just happy that America went through the Group of Death (I mean Group G (not really... XD)) and all of the save Howard made. Plus that goal from Green... :D But I'm so sorry for France! I was rooting for them this year; sad that they didn't defeat Germany. ;(**

**StoryToBeToldAsOne-Well you saw my reactions firsthand! XD We need to watch that dinner date together too! Well, they better record it! Thank you so much girl!**

**Guest-Thank you so much!**

**MakeItComeTrue-Thank you so much!**

**TheMisteryGirl007-Thank you so much!**

**JarrettorForever-Thank you so much!**

**Junatina-XD Thank you so much!**

**Guest-Thank you so much!**

***insert disclaimer here***

* * *

"Where are we going?" I asked Garrett for at least the tenth time. He seemed to know where we were going, but as of right then and there, it seemed like we were going in complete circles. I didn't know where anywhere was; I didn't live in this part of Gettysburg until Garrett's dad took me in. I knew it existed, but I never went into it until my house was in complete flames and I was left homeless.

"We're going to trade for some clothes first, then some food and writing utensils," he answered. "If we're lucky, then we might be able to trade for some furniture as well."

"If we're lucky?" I raised an eyebrow. If all of their furniture came from trading, then how did they get so many?

He nodded. "We don't usually trade for furniture; it's only when they're willing to take some newly-made shoes for a table or chair that we do."

"So we're not getting that grand piano?" I teased. Even I, with no experience ever at trading, would know that a grand piano is a bit much for a bunch of new shoes.

He laughed at that. "If we're super super lucky one day and the stars are aligned for us, then who knows? Maybe."

He then smirked at me, and I felt like he was flirting with me subtly. _The stars are aligned for us? What was he trying to say with that? _But I shook my head slightly, trying to forget the idea. He was probably oblivious enough to not even realize what he said oh-so-subtly and I was just thinking too much into it.

"So, how far is it from here?" I asked him, trying to change the subject. "The clothing store, I mean."

"It's right there," he said, pointing at a small building with a small wooden mannequin in its window. I looked at the outfit. A light green puffy long dress with white lace on its bodice. Hmm. Pretty good.

He laughed, snapping me out of my thoughts. "I agree. Their clothes are pretty good and they always trade fairly, no matter what. Some stores rip us off, and we never go to those anymore."

I nodded. "That's cool." I then felt myself blushing. Did I say that out loud?

"Yes, you did," he said. I found myself blushing in embarrassment. I should've really stopped saying stuff that I was thinking. It was really embarrassing.

"It sure is, Jaz," Garrett smirked. I then turned around and pressed my lips together. At that point, I wasn't going to even bother to open my mouth.

We walked in hand in hand. Garrett was carrying the bag filled up to the brim with new shoes. I looked at the young woman who was working at the store; her parents must've owned the store. I sighed in relief. _Thank God it wasn't the same person as the one I asked for clothes before I met Garrett's dad..._

"Hi Grace!" Garrett called into the store. The young lady - Grace was her name, apparently - smiled at him. Then she looked at me; a flash of confusion went through her face, but then she was beaming.

"Garrett! I'm so proud of you!" she exclaimed. "You finally got yourself a girlfriend. When did you start to court her?"

He shook his head adamantly at that, but I did notice a slight blush appear on his cheek. "Never. At least, not yet."

My eyes widened at that, though I knew that he and Grace probably noticed. Not yet? What did he mean by that? But I tried to regain my composure as I said as calmly as I could, "I'm living with him and his dad for the time being."

She nodded at that, her smile not faltering one bit. "That's cool! Why? Are you his cousin or something?"

I shook my head. "No. It's just a long story." I didn't really want to divulge my life story to her; she was barely an acquaintance to me at the time. But now that I think of it, both Garrett and his dad didn't know the whole story yet. I promised myself that I would tell them it later when we got back home.

She nodded, and Garrett introduced us. "Grace, this is Jasmine. Jaz, this is Grace; her parents own the shop."

She smiled at me and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jasmine." Then, she turned to Garrett. "How much shoes have you got for me today?"

I turned to Garrett, who shrugged. "Enough for what we need. I only need a shirt, a pair of pants, and shorts. Same with my dad. And Jasmine would love that sea green dress on the mannequin in front."

I looked at him with shock. He remembered that I really liked that dress. Grace nodded. "I have more colors of that style. I have light blue, light pink, and light purple. Do you want those as well?"

I could already imagine me wearing those cute dresses in my head. "Yes, please!"

Grace traded them for only five pairs of shoes, which kind of shocked me. But they both seemed happy with what they got, so I thought it was fair. We then left, without both of us chiming thank you's and goodbye's to Grace. She said the same back to us.

Once we went out of the store, I said to Garrett, "She's really nice."

Garrett nodded. "She is. A pain in the butt sometimes, but she is really nice."

I quirked an eyebrow. "A pain in the butt?"

He laughed and explained to me, "Her parents and my dad are very good friends. When they come over to dinner sometimes, she taunts me over not having a girlfriend yet. She says that I'm good-looking enough to have one, but I'm just too geeky to have one. I don't blame her though. She always tells the cold hard truth, and I respect that about her."

_Oh, he was definitely good-looking enough to have a girlfriend._ But I comfort him by saying, "Well, you have me. Is that good enough?"

He nodded at that. "Definitely," he smiled. I smiled back as well. He then took me into a small side hug before we walked to where we needed to go next. I felt myself blush but then ignored it.

We got five jars of ink and three feathers from the post office for a pair of shoes, a couple of jars of honey from a beekeeper for a pair of shoes, and a huge bottle of pancake batter and some fresh fruit from the marketplace for a couple of pairs of shoes. At the end of that, we only had a pair left. Garrett asked me what I wanted to attempt to trade for the last pair of shoes. I shrugged.

"I don't know. I don't know this place very well," I told him. "You should decide. You know this place ten times better than I do."

He shrugged. "I don't need anything. You sure you don't as well? If you're sure, I'm going to give this to my dad to sell."

I nodded and said, "Don't worry, I don't need anything more." I looked up to the sky to see the sun setting, and I turned to Garrett. "We should get back to your dad. It's getting late."

He nodded in agreement and opened up his mouth to say something, but then we both heard, "Garry!" We both turned around to see a woman in her late 30s running up to Garrett and I. I was confused, but I tried my best not to show it. Who was that woman and how did she know Garrett?

Garrett turned to me and whispered, "We have to get out of here."

"Why?" I asked him, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion. I got even more confused after he said that. It really didn't make any sense.

"I'll explain it to you later," he whispered harshly. "We just really have to g-"

"Garry!" the woman pulled Garrett into a hug, and I could see Garrett holding a glare. It did make sense now that I thought about it; that girl was way too cheerful for my liking.

"Hi Mother," Garrett spat, trying (and failing) to seem optimistic about the sudden encounter. I refrained my eyes from widening in shock. _That woman was Garrett's mother?!_

"How have you been?" she beamed at him. Then, she looked at me, and I saw that they had the same hair color and skin tone. "And who could this be? Your girlfriend?" She then eyed me suspiciously. "And are those my clothes?"

I nodded; they were her clothes. Garrett told me that I could wear them if I needed more clothes, and he told me that she wouldn't mind. And it had at least been the tenth time that I had been thought of as Garrett's girlfriend, but I didn't blame them. I suddenly appeared while Garrett was trading and they wanted a suitable reason why. _But oh I would love to be his girlfriend..._

"You don't deserve to know who she is to me," Garrett said, rushing in front of me protectively. "And she looks way better than you ever did." I hadn't realized until now that Garrett was taller than me. But what did he mean by that? Was he offending me? Her? I would've always blushed from what he had said, but I was too confused with what was going on.

"Come on, Garry, we haven't talked in forever," his mom tried to persuade him. But he rolled his eyes instead, which made her feel irritated and frustrated.

"Yeah, but you're supposed to be in Philadelphia right now!" Garrett exclaimed, flailing his arms for emphasis. Philadelphia was a 3 hour train ride from Gettysburg, so what was she doing here?

She stayed silent at that, and Garrett scoffed in disbelief. He said, "If you really want to go apologize to Father, I'm not going to stop you. But just know that he's not, and probably never is, going to forgive you."

She shook her head at that. "I'm not here for your father, Garry. I'm happy with John."

"Then you should go back home to Philadelphia, because you're not welcome here," Garrett spat. I honestly found myself shocked at this new version of Garrett that I had never seen before now. What did his mom do to his dad that made him so hostile towards her?

"Garry, that is not how you should treat your mother!" she scolded.

He sighed in exasperation. "You weren't even here for the majority of my life! Look, if you're here for me, whatever, we talked. If you're not, then we never had to talk in the first place. I swear, it's better for the both of us that you leave right now."

She nodded in acceptance. "I can't wait to talk to you again, Garry."

"It's Garrett," he started, "and I can't wait for you to disappear off the edge of the earth."

She then left in a huff, showing no true emotion. I was still trying to digest what just happened. She was his mom? Why wasn't she living with him and his dad? What happened between them? I felt slightly guilty as I looked down at myself; I was wearing Garrett's mom's old clothes left in her dresser, and admittedly, she had good taste; I definitely looked good in them. But why would she even leave them in the dresser? Was she ever planning of coming back but just didn't?

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Garrett said, throwing an arm around me. He was back to his old self, his caring and selfless side, and I wondered why his mom only brought out the worst of him instead of the best. All my parents ever wanted for me was for me to be the best that I could be and still be happy. Even though my parents were dead, I suddenly became appreciative of their love and support that they gave me. I should've thanked them for it earlier, but now, it was too late.

"It's fine," I smiled and shook it off, even though I definitely wanted to learn more about the situation. At the same time, however, I didn't want him to feel pressured or anything; that was the least I wanted. But my curious side got the best of me, as it always had. "That was your mother?"

"Yeah," Garrett's face churned into a disgusted expression at the mention of her. "She left my dad and I when I was five."

"Oh," was all I could get out. That was absolutely horrible. Why would she leave him and his dad? They were the nicest people I knew! Even though my curiosity sparked at that, I told him, "If you don't want to tell me anything more, I'm completely fine with that. If it's too personal, I understand."

He shook his head at that. "No. I want to tell you, Jaz. I trust you."

He trusted me. That meant so much to me. "I trust you too, Garrett."

He nodded. "Thank you Jaz. Either way, she just ditched us. She left us for another man. She was just gone one day. Everything was still there. She didn't even leave a note. We always thought that she would come back for us, but she never did."

"Until now?" I asked. I was still confused on why she was here in the first place.

He shrugged. "I have no idea why she's here. I just hope she gets out of her soon."

"You don't want anything to do with her," I stated. Originally, it was supposed to come out as a question, but I was so certain about that right now that I was just confident that it was correct.

He nodded. "Of course! She just left us! We had to figure out from Grace that she was leaving for good. I mean, she left us for another man! How selfish is that?!"

I nodded, taking it all in. I knew one thing for sure: I would never leave my family like that. That wasn't fair. They at least deserved to know.

He sighed, taking a deep breath. "Thank you for listening, Jaz. It means a lot to me."

I smiled and said, "No problem. Anything for you."

We then went for a hug, and it felt amazing to hug him. Even though I had to stand on my tiptoes, it was amazing. Being in his arms felt like I was all his. And I really wanted that; the only thing stopping me was that stupid rule.

When we separated, our faces were a foot apart. I found myself staring into his sapphire blue eyes. He did the same thing to me, and before we knew it, we were both leaning in. Was this what I thought it was? Were we really going to kiss? I felt myself jumping for joy inside as we inched closer.

But, suddenly, Garrett jolted back. My eyes widened at that, but I tried not to show that I was hurt.

"We should really go back," he said.

I nodded, trying to avoid any awkwardness. "Yep."

He took my hand and we walked back, though all I could think about was that kiss-to-be.

* * *

**Well that was the chappie! The almost kiss, Garrett's mom... Man a whole lot is going on right now! (and of course there's going to be more!) If you guys enjoyed, please make sure that you follow, favorite, and leave a review. Could I have 40 please? Thank you guys so much for reading, and I'll see you next time!**


	6. Part 6

**Hey you guys! It's StylishFashionista, and I am here with a new chapter! Miss Miami ended. ;( But on the bright side, that means I have more time for this story! I really wanted to update this before I have to leave for camp tomorrow, so I'm sorry if it was super late. Anyways, that's all I have to say right now, so let's just go straight to reviews!**

**Junatina-Thank you so much! Honestly, I would've been fine with both teams winning, and I'm happy with both performances. :)**

**Bonjour10-Germany has been great and Neuer is one of my favorite goalies ever. I hope the US will win in 2018 (even though I'm pretty sure it's not going to happen... :/). I know soccer still exists. I watch major league soccer religiously, and like I told you, I'm planning to go to the Women's World Cup in Canada. Well Jarrett is just that adorable! ;) Too bad Jasmine can't break it... I hate Garrett's mom as well. She's sinister, but you're right. Her clothes are quite useful. ;) Thanks so much!**

**StoryToBeToldAsOne-I see you're excited. ;) I honestly have no clue where it would be. We need to do some research. XD Thanks so much! Hahaha yes it does have something to do with the Skype conversation. I may add a love interest since you deserve one. ;) And yes, an almost kiss. ;)**

**LoveYouForeverAndMore-Thank you so much!**

**ABC-Writer-Thank you so much! I know whether they will come in the story or not but I don't want to say!**

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**Guest-I am updating noooooooooooooooooow! Thanks!**

***insert disclaimer here***

* * *

Garrett's dad thought that we did a great job in trading that day, so he basically designated us to go to trade every single Friday. Garrett didn't bother to tell him about how he saw his mother, and our lips were definitely sealed about the almost kiss. I asked Garrett why he didn't want to tell his father about his mother, and he looked at me as if it was obvious.

"Are you kidding me?" he whispered harshly. "I can't tell him! He'd freak out!"

"But he's your dad!" I whispered harshly back. "He deserves to know! I mean, it's his ex-wife for crying out loud!"

"Yeah, and that's the problem," Garrett told me, surprisingly calm. He sighed. "Look, whatever you do, do not tell my dad about anything that happened today. He may be nice, but if he figured out about my mom or the fact that," he leaned in and whispered into my ear, "we almost kissed," he then leaned back, "he will turn into a monster."

I didn't question it after that. Garrett's dad was very nice; I didn't want to see his mean side yet. I just relented and sighed, making sure to not mention it at all.

A month later, while we were trading at the post office for some paper, ink, and feathers, a teenage boy working there asked for my name. He was very cute. He wasn't as cute as Garrett, but he was still very cute. He had brown hair just like mine and big brown eyes. I smiled at him.

"I'm Jasmine," I said, trying to act cute and nonchalant. "How about you?"

His eyes widened. "You're Jasmine?"

I nodded, narrowing my eyes in confusion. "Yes. Why?"

"I've been looking for you for quite a while now," he told me, passing me some letters. I took them. There were about five of them, and all of them were addressed to me.

"Thank you," I said politely. "Is this the only reason why you were looking for me?"

He tilted his head. "Kind of, since I saw your house burned down while I was delivering letters. Are you okay?"

I nodded. "I'm fine. I'm living with Garrett and his dad."

I motioned to Garrett who was looking at the different types of paper, and the boy nodded. I then smiled at him and waved goodbye, before flipping through the letters. Most of them were actually for my parents: catalogs for furniture and clothes, grocery coupons, and other things that were irrelevant to me. However, one came from Washington DC, and my eyes widened as I read who it was from. _The Union army. _I immediately placed it on the bottom of the pile as Garrett approached me.

"You got some letters?" he asked me. I nodded, and his eyebrows furrowed. "Are there any important ones?"

My mind automatically thought of the one from the Union army, but I shook my head impulsively. I didn't know why I didn't want to tell him; Garrett trusted me when he told me about his mother, so shouldn't I have returned the favor? But he didn't know why I was staying with him; he wouldn't understand. So I just smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about it, Garrett. They're just a bunch of coupons and catalogs."

"Any clothes catalogs?" Garrett raised his eyebrows teasingly. "I know you want them."

I rolled my eyes jokingly and said, "I'm going to give them to your dad, okay?"

He scoffed jokingly and wrapped his arm around me. "Sounds good to me. Come on though. We're out of shoes because my dad wasted all of his paper, so we should go home."

I nodded in agreement as we started walking back home. No matter how much I would've rather had thought of how Garrett's arm was wrapped around me with ease, my mind kept thinking about the letter. I knew the letter was most likely about my mom and dad dying, but if I already knew that, why did they have to remind me? I was doing decent with Garrett and his dad, but of course my previous life had to catch up to me. It wasn't that I didn't miss my mom and dad though - I thought about them everyday - but I didn't want to deal with this right now. My heart was in my stomach right now, beating harder than I had ever felt before. Was it out of fear? Out of sadness?

I was pretty sure that Garrett caught my uneasiness, because he asked, "Jasmine, are you okay?"

I hastily nodded. "Of course I'm okay!" I exclaimed. "Why would you think I'm not?"

"Because you seem pretty dazed," Garrett explained, chuckling slightly. "I asked you a question three times and you didn't answer. Plus, you were just staring out into space."

"Oh," my mouth formed into an o; I found myself blushing with embarrassment. "Sorry about that. What did you want to ask me?"

"Do you need any shoes?" he asked me. "My dad sometimes makes girls shoes, and today was one of those days. That, and your shoes are a muddy mess."

I looked down; he was right. I didn't need new ones, but a new pair of leather flats would be nice to have. I shrugged. "It doesn't really matter. He can sell them if he wants."

"You sure?" Garrett asked, stopping and looking into my brown eyes. I felt myself get lost in his sapphire blue eyes, but then I shook my head and blinked.

"Seriously," I smiled reassuringly again. "I'm fine with my shoes." I looked down, and I tried to stop my face from scrunching up with disgust. Okay, yes, I really wanted new shoes. But that would cut out of my time to read that letter. Quickly, I slipped it subtly in my bodice so then I wouldn't have to give it to Garrett's father as we approached the shoe store. Once we walked in, Garrett's dad's face lit up. I looked next to him to see a customer. _Oh, now I get it._

Quickly changing into saleswoman-mode (practice really helped that), I beamed at the customer and said, "Hi there. Is there anything specific you're looking for?"

He growled at me, and I almost felt like snapping at him, but I refrained myself from doing it. _No one growls at me like that!_

"He claims that we don't sell the kind of shoes that he wants," Garrett's dad explained; I could tell he was internally rolling his eyes.

"Well, what kind of shoe do you want?" Garrett asked, stepping forward. "I'm sure that we can find something for you that suits your liking."

"No you cannot!" he exclaimed. He then announced that he was going to leave and buy the shoes he wanted somewhere else, huffing and then storming out of the store. We looked after him strangely.

"Well," Garrett started, pressing his lips together, "that was interesting."

"Definitely a special person," I added, pretending to be hesitant.

"Well, kids, that's what you call a cranky teacher," Garrett's dad said, and we all laughed slightly and nodded at that. I then looked down and remembered the letters in my hands (and the one still in my bodice). I handed them to his dad and told them that they were catalogs and coupons. He thanked me before closing the store (apparently that cranky customer was too much), and then I rushed to our house and up to my bedroom afterwards to read the last letter. I was so anxious. A letter from the Union army? I was so scared to open it, even though I knew I had to.

Finally, I impulsively ripped through the envelope, my breath hitching as I did. I set the envelope aside as I grabbed the letter inside. I took a deep breath before folding the letter open and starting to read it.

_To whom it may concern,_

_I am sorry to inform you that two of your relatives recently died at the Battle of Gettysburg fighting for the Union. They put up a hard fight, but sadly they had to leave us. I am sure that they are living in heaven looking down upon you. There is a funeral scheduled for them on July 17 at 5:00 PM at the Arlington Cemetery in Washington DC. You are welcome to attend and speak. I am sorry for your lost, and I wish you and your loved ones the best._

_Sincerely,_

_Ulysses S. Grant_

I let out a breath that I wasn't even aware I was holding until then. _A funeral for my parents._ That sounded very tempting, but that would mean that I would have to tell both Garrett and his dad about what happened to my parents. But the funeral was in a few days. I really wanted to go. Maybe I could've convinced them?

No. I had to tell them if I wanted to go. And I wanted to go a whole lot.

I ran downstairs to see both Garrett and Garrett's dad there. I took another deep breath. How was I supposed to tell them? They both greeted me happily, and that only made me feel guiltier. _I have to tell them_, I kept repeating to myself.

And eventually, I did.

"Hey, you guys, you want to know the reason I was homeless?"

Okay, maybe I should've thought that out a bit more.

Garrett was the first to respond, exclaiming with shock, "Wait, you were homeless?" However, Garrett's dad just nodded, motioning me to continue. I felt super bad for not telling Garrett, but I continued anyway.

"Well, my parents died in the Battle of Gettysburg, so..."

"YOUR PARENTS DIED?!" Garrett exclaimed, and at that moment, I wanted to shrivel up into a raisin. Well, not in that way, since raisins were super wrinkly and disgusting, but I just wanted to disappear.

"And I kind of wanted to go to their funeral at DC?" I ended, making it sound like I question at the end. Truth was, I was super scared, and I felt super bad about everything. Why didn't I tell them everything in the beginning? I mentally scolded myself at that.

Garrett's dad smiled, to my shock. "Sure. Why not? It's not like any of us have anything better to do."

I smiled better at that. I didn't know whether it was forced or not. However, I felt absolutely horrible as I watched Garrett storm off, walking upstairs and slamming the door behind him.

I sighed. Garrett's dad tried to give me a reassuring smile and to apologize about Garrett, but I cut him off, putting a hand up and saying, "It's okay. It's not his fault; it's mine. Don't apologized."

I sighed once more, combing through my long, brown hair. Okay, maybe this was really bad timing.

* * *

**Thank you guys so much for reading the chapter. I really hoped you guys enjoyed it; I really wanted to have a good chapter up before I left! Anyways, if you guys liked it, make sure to leave a r****eview! Can we please hit 50 reviews? Thank you all so much, and I will see you next time!**


	7. Part 7

**Hey you guys! It's StylishFashionista, and I'm back with another chapter! Yay! I came back from camp just a couple days ago, and it was so much fun! I have such an uneven tan now... XD I don't really mind, though. It's a tan for crying out loud! XD Anyways, I guess we're off to reviews right now!**

**StoryToBeToldAsOne-Hahaha I like pancakes... XD Well, your wait is over! It may be a while though til you get it. ;) Thanks so much! And I did!**

**Bonjour10-Hahaha glad you like the change of setting! :) Yeah it may be an emotional day (I also won't need tissues for that). She did. I tried to hint at it with how trusting Garrett was for her the chapter before with his mom. But thank you so much. :)**

**LoveYouForeverAndMore-Thank you so much!**

**ABC-Writer-Thank you so much! The reason why Garrett was mad is because she never told him. He trusted her, but he thought that she didn't trust him. I hope that clarifies it a bit.**

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***insert disclaimer here***

* * *

The train ride was one of the longest train rides I had ever been on.

I had been on other train rides before. Sometimes my parents had to go to New York City or Boston for business trips, and whenever there wasn't a nanny to take care of me, I had to tag along with them. Usually, though, I had something to entertain myself. Whether it was a book such as _Uncle Tom's Cabin_ or a notebook that I could write in the entire time, I was always entertained, and time seemed to go by quickly. But it wasn't like that when I was with Garrett and his dad. In fact, it was kind of awkward.

Honestly, if I had told both of them that my parents died sooner, then maybe I would've been having fun on that train ride instead of dying from pure boredom. I blamed myself completely. I felt like I lost Garrett's trust and respect; he hadn't spoken to me since I told him and his father about the funeral and my parents dying, which was a couple days ago, and I had felt so lonely the past couple days. I couldn't believe what I was thinking, but I actually preferred walking on the dirt streets of Gettysburg and not knowing whether or not I would survive over having someone I cared about a lot shun me and give me the silent treatment. I had to admit, maybe my instincts weren't the best at the time.

Okay, my instincts were never the best.

But, ugh, I hated this. I hated watching Garrett write a letter oh-so-peacefully right next to me and ignoring me, pretending that I didn't even exist. Why couldn't I had told them in a nicer way? Maybe if I wasn't so rushed to go to the funeral, then I could've actually relaxed and told them in the calmest and nicest way possible.

No. I shouldn't even have thought that. This was all my fault. I knew that.

But I wished words could've been my ally at that time. They usually were; I was known in my family to be able to sweet-talk them into doing anything. But it didn't work that way whenever I was impulsive. I should've really stopped being impulsive. I had already been impulsive enough to make so many mistakes. Now I couldn't show my face at that diner or clothes shop without blushing or feeling ashamed, and even worse, Garrett and I weren't on the best of terms anymore. And that was an understatement.

I sighed loudly. I couldn't take it anymore. I just couldn't.

I tried my best to give him a hug. I snuggled into him, and while he didn't seem to react to it at first, he then started to tense up. I looked up at him, and I saw him mustering his best glare. I didn't get off him, however. I just kept looking up at him.

Finally, he said something. "What are you doing?"

I didn't respond for a while. What was I doing? I didn't really have a solid reason for why I was snuggling on his chest and gazing into his sapphire blue eyes. So, instead, I just choked out, "I'm sorry."

He looked at me as if I was insane. "You apologize now? Two days later?"

I felt my throat clog up with guilt as I said, "I'm sorry. I really am. I get that it's a bit late, but it's kind of hard to apologize to someone who's giving you the silent treatment."

He bit his bottom lip, and I could tell that he was trying to hold in a laugh. "Ugh, you know how hard it is to stay mad at you?"

I blinked a couple of times, trying to register what he just said. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He apparently took that as a sign to continue.

"I just, ugh! You mean so much to me, and after entrusting you with what happened with my mom, I just thought that you would trust me as well, you know?"

I sighed and said, "I do, Garrett. I really do."

"Then why didn't you trust me with the fact that you were homeless and that your parents died in the Battle of Gettysburg?" Garrett asked me in a whisper. "That would've been really nice to know."

"I'm sorry, okay?!" I exclaimed. "What was I supposed to say? When was I supposed to tell you? Was I supposed to just say out of the blue 'Oh, yeah, my parents are dead and I would be homeless if it wasn't for your dad'?"

"Actually, that would've been perfect!" Garrett snapped. "Jasmine, you mean the world to me. Why couldn't you have told me something as important as that? I thought you trusted me."

I felt my heart break at that. He called me Jasmine, not Jaz. That felt like a sting to my heart. He really was mad.

After looking into each other's eyes for a while, Garrett shook his head, going back to writing his letter. "Well, apparently I was wrong." He then nudged me off his chest, and I froze. I finally got him to speak, but because of my stupidity, he shut me back out again. I felt even more horrible than I did before. I stole another glance at him. He seemed concentrated on his letter, his breathing light once again. I sighed silently before leaning my elbow on the window, checking the time. 3:00. Perfect. I still had another silent, awkward hour to live through.

* * *

We finally got off at the train station at Washington DC, and unluckily, it was 10 minutes after we were supposed to arrive there. That meant an extra ten minutes having to deal with a silent Garrett who was mad at me. I hated having to deal with that. It broke my heart knowing that I made him so mad. And the guilty feeling that wouldn't depart me stomach was still there.

Garrett's dad asked for directions to the Arlington Cemetery. It was just across the Potomac River, and we had to go on a boat to cross. There was a man rowing our boat for us, and he was very talkative. He seemed sweet, but it didn't feel right to smile anymore. However, when he finally asked the reason why we were crossing the river, I answered by saying, "I'm going to my parents' funeral." He didn't speak after that.

Once we were there, we changed into the black outfits we packed. I bought a special one from Grace for this occasion. It was a black dress with a black and gold bodice, black lace for sleeves, and black flowers on the skirt. She reassured me that it looked presentable for a funeral, and I could only hope so.

Garrett and his dad were wearing similar outfits. Both were wearing black long sleeve shirts with black pants and black dress shoes. I felt horrible - it was hot out and they were wearing that much - but both of them swore they didn't mind. Well, Garrett's dad did, at least. He also told me that Garrett didn't mind, but after everything that happened between us, I wasn't sure whether that was the truth or not.

But, either way, they looked amazing. Especially Garrett. I shouldn't have been thinking of him that way since we were kind of in a fight, but he looked so good. I had never seen him wear black before, but it definitely was his color. It brought out his sapphire blue eyes that I loved so much.

We were about to go to the funeral room, but then Garrett's dad passed me something. Black leather flats. My eyes widened. I didn't expect him to make these for me. I muttered a quick thank you.

"Don't worry about it." He smiled at me, putting the black flats on my feet. "Consider it a special gift."

I didn't respond to that. I didn't know how to.

I wondered for a split second if Garrett ever asked his dad to make me some shoes. He did ask me if I wanted some new ones, but that was only a couple of hours before the whole thing...

I should've really stopped thinking about that already. It obviously wasn't helping. Especially in the circumstance I was in.

The funeral started, and I watched a girl in her 20s speak. I had seen her around before. She was one of my mom's patients and later became her helper in the war. They were super close, and I couldn't really blame them. We never truly spoken though, and we should probably start. However, I was second guessing that, since it would remind me more about my mom.

Then, a general started talking about both of them. He must've known my parents very well; if not, then he wouldn't even have been here in the first place. He wasn't wearing black; instead he was wearing his regular camouflage uniform with a few medals pinned onto it. I didn't even dare focus on him speaking. Instead, I learned to focus on the bland color that the walls were, the white roses set on the table, anything except for the speech. If I started to pay attention, I would've already started crying.

However, my eyes widened as I saw my grandmother struggling to walk up. I couldn't believe it. The last time I saw her was when she and my mom had this huge fight about my dad being an abolitionist, and they never talked ever since. But I knew deep down inside that she had always cared. It was obvious she never stopped.

At that point, I was on the verge of bursting into tears. I didn't want to look straight at her, but I always did; she was my grandmother talking at my parents' funeral; I had to. Once I heard, "No matter how much we struggle with them in our lives, we all know that it's worth it," I blinked a couple of tears out. I expected myself to cry, but I never liked the feeling.

When I felt someone's fingers lace through mine, I had to look next to me to remind myself that it was Garrett sitting next to me, not anyone else. I didn't know what to focus on, but the feeling I got when his thumb moved softly on my palm felt absolutely amazing. It felt comforting, reassuring. I didn't understand why he was doing that, but I didn't question it. He kept doing that, even after she had stopped talking.

"Do you want to speak?" I heard someone ask me. I shook my head.

"No. I can't. I wouldn't be able to get out a sentence without crying," I told the person.

Then everyone started to leave. All of my tears had dried up, but each step I took felt like a weight crashing down onto me. And Garrett let go of me. That honestly made me feel worse.

We took the boat back and went to our hotel. The entire way there was silent. Both of them knew I couldn't say anything, and I didn't. I let myself wallow up in silence, mourning about my parents. I hadn't had the chance to do that earlier, and now that I could, I had to.

I finally let myself sob. I cried harder than I ever did before. I needed to let it all out before knowing I could move on. Garrett's dad rubbed his hand on my back while I did, and I just kept doing that until I was out of tears. Then, I finally looked up with red eyes. Both of them looked at me sorrily, and I sighed.

"I let it all out. I miss them like heck, and I still love them to death, but I know they wouldn't want me crying forever." I stood up; there wasn't any more weights. "It'll be hard to get over it, but I need to start." I attempted to smile. I was ready to never forget them, but to move on and be happy. I hoped.

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**That was the chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed. :) I honestly had a really hard time ending this. :( If you guys enjoyed, please review! Could I please have 55? :)**

**Anyways, with the new summary that came out for the episode Lindy Nose Best, I'm honestly not too mad. Why? They're _fake-dating_. It doesn't mean that Jogan is going to make out or anything. They don't like each other! Honestly, I can picture Jasmine _telling_ Logan what to do, and at the end, since he isn't being "a good boyfriend", she's just like, "Ugh! I give up!" And besides, Jarrettors, we can always pretend that they're going to fake date to also make Garrett jealous. ;) I will never forget when they were alone together in Fireman Freddy's. ;) *hint hint nudge nudge***


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